Kathy Troccoli

Updated: Jan 19

Kathleen Troccoli (born June 24, 1958) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, author, and speaker. She is best known for her husky-voiced alto.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Troccoli was raised in Islip Terrace, Long Island, New York where she graduated from East Islip High School. Her father died of colon cancer when she was 15. After graduating from high school, Troccoli studied jazz and opera at the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, then returned to Long Island to major in voice at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) also singing with a SCCC-based jazz band and later singing in Long Island clubs. In the summer of 1978, Troccoli formed a friendship with a born again Christian co-worker while attending college; this led to Troccoli herself becoming a devout Christian. Troccoli was raised in a Catholic family, which was not particularly religious. As of 1998, she was a practicing Roman Catholic, but currently identifies as a non-denominational Christian.

Troccoli's alto voice gained prominence when she opened for Ed Nalle's group, GLAD, when the group performed at the Long Island church Troccoli attended in 1980. Approximately six months afterwards, Nalle invited Troccoli to record a demo tape, with his band's backing, and Kathy accepted. After she and GLAD had recorded it, the tape was submitted to Michael Blanton and Dan Harrell (Amy Grant's brother-in-law); these two, as a result of hearing it, formed the Reunion Records label, in Nashville, Tennessee, specifically to record Troccoli, and Troccoli herself, in turn, moved to Nashville to reside with Harrell and his family.

Troccoli released her debut album Stubborn Love in 1982. Its title song climbed up to number two on the Christian music charts. Her second and third albums, Heart & Soul (1984) and Images (1986) earned her Grammy nominations. After the release of Images and her collaboration with GLAD with the 1987 Christian hit "All the World Should Know," Troccoli then withdrew from her musical career returning to Long Island for a five-year sojourn, giving singing lessons and sang at weddings. In 1989, Troccoli was prominently featured on the single "I'll Be Your Shelter," a Diane Warren-penned song which pop singer Taylor Dayne recorded for her album Can't Fight Fate. "I'll Be Your Shelter" became a Top Ten single in 1990. At the same time, Troccoli was also caring for her mother who was in ill health. Troccoli's mother died of breast cancer in 1991.

After her mother's death, Troccoli returned to the Reunion Records label in 1991 for her secular album debut, Pure Attraction. Her first mainstream success was the Billboard Top 20 hit "Everything Changes," written by Warren. "Everything Changes" also did well on the Christian radio charts. Prior to "Everything Changes," Troccoli had her first two number one songs on the Christian radio charts with "Love Was Never Meant to Die" and "Help Myself to You."

Troccoli released her self-titled follow-up album Kathy Troccoli in 1994, Sounds of Heaven in 1995 and in 1996 was a featured singer on The Beach Boys collaborative album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 singing "I Can Hear Music." Love & Mercy was released in 1997. The track "A Baby's Prayer" won Troccoli her first two Dove Awards as an artist and a songwriter that she co-wrote for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year. Corner of Eden was released in 1998 and won her another Dove Award for Inspirational Album of the Year. Troccoli collaborated with multi-award winning artist Sandi Patty with the album Together and her first Christmas album A Sentimental Christmas, both in 1999.